| [Thread Prev] | [Thread Next] | [Thread Index] | [Date Prev] | [Date Next] | [Date Index] |
Jasmes, Avoid the use of Elmer's for any paleo applications, but especially for teaching specimens that by definition have to stand up to a lot of wear and tear. It is extremely unstable over time and can damage more than it saves. In the spring newsletter of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, there is a technical leaflet on adhesives and consolidants used in geological conservation. I'll be glad to have a copy sent to you (compliments of SPNHC) if you like. The short version is, if you are sure that the specimen is not going to be used for research and that there is no foreseeable reason to use a reversible adhesive, a dilute solution of Butvar can be used in the field to stabilize flaking shale. You can use a large hypodermic to pinpoint the consolidation rather than flooding the surface (consolidants don't penetrate from the surface very far and a surface flooding alone leaves most of the specimen untreated and vulnerable). Butvar is becoming widely used in geological conservation. It is not, for all practical purposes, reversible, and I'd steer clear of it for specimens that are being collected for potential bio/geochemical use. If you can't track down a local source through a museum, let me know. Cheers, Sally Shelton Director, Collections Care and Conservation President-Elect, SPNHC ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | San Diego Natural History Museum | | P. O. Box 1390 | | San Diego, California 92112 USA | | phone (619) 232-3821; FAX (619) 232-0248 | | email LIBSDNHM@CLASS.ORG | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Partial index: